


pack animal

by lolainslackss



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Post-Canon, Puppysitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 23:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13375668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolainslackss/pseuds/lolainslackss
Summary: "Can you do it? Puppysit?"Andrew slammed the door in her face just as Neil said, "Yes."...Adventures in puppysitting with Andrew and Neil.





	pack animal

Andrew was sprawled across the couch, his head in Neil's lap. The whole team had been given an extra-long break for the holidays, and after the chaotic rush of Christmas and New Year, he and Neil had spent the last couple of days inside their apartment, not doing much at all.

It was nice, he supposed.

While he didn't appreciate how busy the holidays could be, what with an abundance of teammates (old and new) wanting to see the two of them for celebrations, he did enjoy the food and booze. And the way Neil's face would soften and flush with the sheer _bliss_ of it all wasn't too bad either. He understood it, because he understood Neil. Holidays were permanent, fixed, and the reunions they had with the Foxes were...grounding, familiar. Permanence and familiarity can't have been luxuries for Neil growing up, so Andrew understood why his boyfriend was so overwhelmingly happy.

Andrew, personally, with a tummy full of leftover festive desserts and his head pillowed on Neil's thigh, was feeling something close to content himself. They were watching old cartoons, and Neil was very occasionally running a hand through Andrew's hair, and they still had a week of this left before they had to get back to Exy, back to real life.

Then came the inevitable interruption; there was a knock on the door.

Andrew looked up at Neil questioningly.

"We're not expecting anyone, are we?" Neil asked.

Andrew shook his head.

There was another knock.

"You're going to have to move if I'm going to go get that," Neil jiggled his thigh and Andrew growled in response before moving to let Neil get up.

"It's, um, our neighbours," Neil told him in a hushed whisper after looking through the peephole.

Andrew looked over and sighed as Neil opened the door. Standing there was the woman from number ten, across the hall (Andrew didn't know her name but she and Neil always exchanged 'hellos' when they bumped into each other in the hallway). With her were her daughter, and a curly-haired, chocolate-brown puppy. The neighbour and her daughter both had suitcases, and the neighbour was also carrying a large tote bag.

Andrew narrowed his eyes at them and got to his feet. He walked over and stood next to Neil as the neighbour greeted them. Andrew looked at the puppy and had a sudden Bad Feeling about the situation.

"We've had a bit of a, um, family emergency," The neighbour said, tucking her hair behind her ears awkwardly, "So Jenna and I need to catch the next flight to Phoenix. We were wondering if you could help us out. Jenna got Albie for Christmas and we can't take her with us. Do you think you could look after her while we're gone? I have her food and toys and her bed all in here,"

She held up the large tote bag.

"I'd ask around but the building is pretty much a ghost town," She continued when they didn't say anything, "People must be away for the holidays. Can you do it? Puppysit?"

Andrew slammed the door in her face just as Neil said, "Yes."

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Neil.

"Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Andrew warned him.

"I'm thinking _cute_?" Neil offered with a sheepish grin.

Andrew opened the door. The neighbour and her daughter were watching him expectantly, _hopefully_. Andrew scowled and inspected the dog. It was tiny, fluffy, looked silly. Its wild curls obscured its eyes, so Andrew crouched down and pushed the hair back. The dog looked at him with wide, dark-brown eyes. Then, its tail started wagging.

"Okay," Andrew finally conceded, standing up and folding his arms across his chest.

The neighbour grinned.

"Great," She said, handing the tote bag to Andrew and the end of Albie's leash to Neil, "You're going to stay with the nice men. Isn't that amazing, Albie?"

As the dog crossed the threshold, Neil immediately plopped down onto the floor and started petting her head. Neil kept saying 'hi' over and over as she hopped up onto her hind legs to start licking his face, her tiny paws resting on Neil's shoulders.

"So she's at the age where she needs to pee once every hour or two-" The neighbour told Andrew.

"We're on the sixth floor," Andrew interrupted drily.

"And she's also going through a bit of a bitey phase-" The neighbour continued, slowly starting to back away down the corridor.

Neil suddenly held up a bleeding hand, and said, "I noticed," while laughing.

Andrew's glare darkened and he was about to call the whole thing off, but the neighbour and her daughter were already nearing the stairs.

"Just 30 grams of food three times a day, a nice long walk, enough water, and she'll be great," She called out as she pulled the little girl after her, "We'll be back in a week, bye!"

"A week?" Andrew repeated, as he slammed the door shut and looked down at Neil.

"It'll be fine," Neil replied cheerfully.

"This will be your problem," Andrew told him flatly, as the puppy started tongue-kissing his boyfriend.

 

...

 

Andrew drove to the store to pick up some groceries while Neil got Albie settled in their apartment. Neil set up her bed in the spare room and put two bowls out on the floor - one full of water and another containing food. Neil gave the food a curious sniff. It smelled... _fishy_ almost. Neil scrunched up his nose and watched as Albie started eating.

She was just _too cute_ , with her soft, bouncy fur and her tiny paws. Neil smiled and grabbed her leash once she was finished. Then he walked her down six flights of stairs, went out to the apartment's shared garden, and waited as she hunted for a good spot to pee in.

Then they ran up the six flights of stairs and snuggled up on the couch. Albie curled up next to him, a warm ball of chocolate-coloured fluff. Hoping that Andrew wouldn't walk in on him doing it, he took a quick picture of the two of them on his phone and sent it to the Foxes' group chat. Then he pulled up Google and started doing some research. The replies started pinging in instantly. Nicky and Allison sent about a million little faces with hearts for eyes, Aaron was concerned about the dog's wellbeing, and Kevin made sure to ask whether or not having a dog would impact Neil's game (he promptly told Kevin that they were only puppysitting for a week and also to fuck off).

Finally, he heard the jangling of Andrew's keys in the door. Albie's head whipped up fast and she jumped down from the couch to run over to Andrew. Andrew looked down at her blankly, nudging her away with his leg when she jumped up to greet him. At that, she flopped onto her back and looked up at him expectantly.

"She wants a belly rub," Neil told Andrew.

"She can keep dreaming," Andrew replied, stepping over her to walk into the kitchen.

Albie didn't move.

"She's not budging until she gets that belly rub," Neil called out, his tone playful.

Andrew appeared at the door frame and leant against it. He glanced at Neil on the couch and then looked at Albie, who was still sprawled across the floor on her back, watching him.

Andrew sighed, and walked over to her.

"This is stupid," He said, as he placed his palm to her fuzzy tummy and started rubbing.

"So I've been 'Googling'," Neil told Andrew.

"Sounds dangerous," Andrew replied.

"I think she's a mixed breed," Neil went on, "Part poodle and part spaniel,"

"Incredible," Andrew responded sarcastically.

Andrew stood up and walked over to join Neil on the couch. Albie followed him and jumped up, settling in the space between them. Neil rested his hand on her back. Andrew felt a pang of annoyance which he promptly pushed away, refusing to feel annoyed because of a silly-looking puppy.

"That means she doesn't moult," Neil was still talking about his Google search results, "And poodles are apparently really smart so-"

"Do you run your mouth just to feel it flapping?" Andrew asked him.

Neil shut up but his lips quivered with amusement.

"How about a kiss?" He ventured.

"You've had that dog's tongue all over your face," Andrew pointed out, keeping his attention focused on the TV.

"I washed my face," Neil protested, "I promise,"

Andrew pretended to ignore him.

"Is that a no?" Neil pressed.

In response, Andrew turned, cupped Neil's chin in his hands, and pulled his boyfriend in for a kiss. Neil sank into it, coaxing Andrew's mouth open with his chapped lips. They kissed like that for a few minutes, their tongues grazing one another, teeth clacking together once or twice, before Neil pulled away. He let out a satisfied hum that sent a shudder of arousal through Andrew.

"I should take her out to pee," Neil whispered.

Andrew let out a small noise of disapproval, before pulling Neil toward him for one more kiss. Their lips slid together easily; Neil's were smooth and glossy from all the Chapstick. Andrew slotted his mouth around Neil's bottom lip and sucked gently. This made a wet, popping sound when he broke away, and Neil responded to it with a low whine. Andrew leant back and started watching TV again. Neil watched him, wide-eyed.

"I thought you had to take her outside to pee," Andrew reminded him.

"Give me a second to recover," Neil replied, breathing out, before standing up to fetch Albie's leash.

They left the apartment, Neil dazed and slightly flushed.

 

...

 

Andrew turned Neil's hands over in his own and then scowled at the dog.

"For her, biting is playing," Neil told him.

Andrew stopped scowling, but he didn't let go of Neil's hands.

"Idiot," He muttered, before opening the kitchen cabinet and grabbing the anti-septic cream, "At least keep them clean,"

"They're just tiny little scratches from her tiny little teeth," Neil said, shrugging, "I've definitely had worse,"

"Don't care," Andrew responded, massaging the cream into the red scratches that were scattered across Neil's hands.

"Dogs play," Neil was persistent, "This is just how she'd play with the other puppies in her pack. We're a pack, aren't we, little one?"

Albie looked up at them, confused.

"You're a pack animal expert now, are you?" Andrew asked him, screwing the cap back onto the tube.

Neil grinned at Andrew in response and then resumed his wrestling session with Albie. Andrew shook his head and reached for their collection of take-out menus.

"Hey," Neil said after a minute or two, holding up his scratched hands, "Thank you for this,"

"If you get an infection it'll just cause trouble for the both of us," Andrew said, trying to focus on the Chinese take-out menu in front of him and not on Neil's ridiculously blue eyes.

 

...

 

"Will you come on a walk with us?" Neil asked as he zipped up his jacket (denim with fleece lining - a Christmas present from Andrew), and wound a red plaid scarf around his neck.

Andrew had planned on not leaving the house unless absolutely necessary for the remainder of their break, but Neil was just _standing there_ looking kissable in his cosy Winter clothes, watching Andrew with an achingly hopeful expression on his face, and clutching Albie's leash in his scratched hands.

Andrew sighed and smoothly rolled off the couch onto his feet.

"Where are we going?" He asked, grabbing his old, black woollen coat.

Neil beamed.

"Duck pond," He said, and Andrew nodded.

 

...

 

The walk was eventful. Albie was still in that phase of life where literally everyone and everything was exciting. Neil had to stop her from running up to every stranger they came across, chasing trash down the street, and barking at any other dogs that crossed their path. Being outside was just entirely too stimulating for her.

When they got to the park she went wild, running and yapping and attacking the grass.

"Remember this was all your doing," Andrew told Neil as Neil tried to calm Albie down with gentle chiding.

Once she'd relaxed slightly, Neil undid her leash and let her run free. The two of them then ran all the way to the duck pond at the centre of the park, Andrew trailing after.

Andrew eventually caught up with them and the three of them watched the ducks potter around the water.

"Can I hold your hand?" Neil asked after a few minutes. Hand-holding wasn't something they did often, and certainly not while on the move. It was something they did quietly, in moments when they were alone and sleepy and silent, or when a firm squeeze might offer the comfort that words couldn't. Andrew couldn't remember if they'd ever done it in public (not that there was anyone around).

He extended his gloved hand out and Neil took it in his own. Neil's hands were characteristically warm and thawed Andrew's numb fingers. It really was a frosty Winter; when they exhaled, their breath left them in cloudy plumes of white. Andrew stole a glance at Neil, whose cheeks were flushed pink, and he wondered if that meant the tip of his nose had gone red (Neil loved to point out this particular feature of Andrew's whenever the weather grew colder).

Suddenly, Albie decided that watching the ducks glide in figures-of-eight across the surface of the pond wasn't interesting enough and began to bark at them instead.

Andrew sighed as Neil dropped his hand and went to put Albie back on her leash.

"Home?" Neil asked.

"Home," Andrew agreed.

 

...

 

The next morning, Neil woke early to take Albie out for her morning pee. Andrew glanced at his phone groggily. It was 7AM. A notification from his calendar app hovered at the top of his screen. _Session w/ Bee and Aaron 2pm_.

 _Shit_. He'd forgotten. Being on break from Exy threw off his entire schedule (especially when all he'd really had planned for the week was eating and napping on the sofa and getting off with Neil). Now he'd have to drive all the way to Palmetto. He sighed and tossed the phone aside.

Neil jumped back into bed and immediately rubbed his cold feet against Andrew's warm calves. Andrew shuddered at the unpleasant sensation but didn't move. He did move, however, when Albie bounded into the room and leaped onto their bed. Andrew sat up, annoyed, as the puppy plonked itself down into the space between them, and snuggled up to Neil.

"Neil," Andrew said, "Dog hair,"

"She doesn't moult," Neil reminded him, burying his face in Albie's fur, "Come cuddle. It's nice,"

Andrew considered it for a second before shaking his head.

"Need to get ready," He bit out, throwing the covers aside, "Got Bee and Aaron at two,"

"I forgot about that," Neil said, looking at Andrew through half-lidded eyes.

"Me too," Andrew said, getting out of bed.

"Man," Neil said, sighing, "Do you ever just wish you could stay in bed and cuddle all day?"

Andrew frowned. That _is_ what he'd wanted to spend the whole day doing. He made a mental note to do exactly that on their next free day, once the puppy was out of the way.

 

...

 

Andrew got back from therapy and found Neil and Albie sitting on the kitchen floor, Neil's back to the wall. Neil looked up at him, distressed.

"I think she might be sick," He said in lieu of a greeting, "She threw up her food earlier and now she's all quiet and lethargic,"

Andrew hummed and crouched down beside them. He gave the dog a cursory glance-over. She looked fine to him. A little quieter than usual but that was a good thing in his opinion.

Neil, however, chewed his chapped lips nervously.

"What if she's not okay?" He asked Andrew, searching his face for some kind of answer, "What if I'm a terrible puppysitter who ends up killing the only puppy I've ever had to look after?"

"She's not going to die," Andrew said, raising an eyebrow at the dramatics, "She probably threw up because she eats fast, doesn't chew. She's probably feeling down because she misses her owners,"

Neil accepted that but he still looked concerned. Andrew slid a hand to grip Neil's neck.

"What?" Andrew asked.

"I just-" Neil started and then stopped, before starting again, "Taking care of something, being responsible for another living thing- it's a _big deal_ ,"

"Now you know how I feel," Andrew replied evenly.

Neil laughed.

"Sorry for freaking out," Neil said eventually, "I just-"

"Freaked out," Andrew finished for him.

Neil nodded.

Andrew understood, of course. Neil never thought his life would come to this. This life, this life they had carved out for themselves, was a precious thing. Different from what either of them had foreseen for themselves, and precious because of that. Neil never thought he'd ever be fully responsible for a life, have something alive and breathing depending on him for survival, sustenance. He never thought he'd be a source of joy. And yet here he was, sitting on the kitchen floor. Here he was.

"Go wash up," Andrew told him, "You smell like dog food,"

Neil smiled and pressed a kiss to Andrew's temple as he stood up.

 

...

 

Cuddling with Albie in bed became a regular occurrence for the rest of the week. On the day their neighbours are due to return, Andrew woke up when he felt the extra weight on the mattress. She must have left her own bed and made her way into the room. Neil snoozed on.

Andrew looked at her and patted her head before getting out of bed.

Neil stirred.

"I'll take her out to pee," Neil mumbled sleepily, unable to open his eyes.

"I'm taking a turn," Andrew said, pulling on his boots and reaching for his cigarettes.

"You sure?" Neil replied, "My problem,"

"I'm taking a turn," Andrew repeated, leaving the bedroom and grabbing Albie's leash.

Andrew and Albie walked down the stairs and into the garden. It was still dark out; the sky was dark violet, threatening dawn. Andrew sat on the step and lit a cigarette as Albie wandered around the garden. When she was finished doing whatever it was she was doing, she returned and sat right in front of him.

"You really messed up this week for me, you know?" Andrew told her, "We were supposed to be alone, together,"

Albie tilted her head, confused.

"But he likes you," Andrew continued, flicking ash from his cigarette, "So I guess it's okay,"

They climbed the stairs, all six floors, and went back to bed.

 

...

 

The neighbour finally showed up some time in the evening and, as expected, Albie went wild. She leaped around the corridor, crying happily, jumping up at the neighbour and her daughter like they were the best thing she'd ever seen.

'Pack animal' Neil mouthed at Andrew, raising his eyebrows.

"Thank you so much," The neighbour gushed, handing them a bag overflowing with gifts.

Andrew opened it and took a peek. He saw candy and supposed it wasn't a waste of a week after all.

"No problem," Neil replied, "It was fun,"

Neil said goodbye to Albie, giving her one last belly rub for the road, and then she was gone. The apartment felt peaceful, quiet, back-to-normal. Andrew tore into the candy and stuffed a handful into his mouth.

"Can we get a dog?" Neil asked as soon as they sat down on the couch, looking at the space in between their thighs where Albie would curl up.

"No," Andrew replied instantly.

"Why not?" Neil pestered.

"Because," Andrew drawled, "They're hard work. They require constant care and attention. In a few days our schedules are going to go haywire. After that we'll be on the road a lot,"

"Yeah," Neil agreed, "I guess you're right. It wouldn't really be fair,"

Andrew turned to Neil and was about to ask if a kiss would soothe his disappointment when-

"What about a cat?"

 

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago as it's kinda seasonal. whoops. I hope you enjoyed it anyway!!
> 
> albie is based off an actual pup I puppysit sometimes (she's part poodle, part cocker spaniel, full adorable). 
> 
> [fandom tumblr](http://palmetttos.tumblr.com/) / [main tumblr](http://flutter.tumblr.com) (say hello/send prompts?)


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